Ask a Naturalist: Identifying Fall Trees

These native tree species all grow at the Gateway Nature Preserve, many of them along the Forest Discovery Trail above Salem Creek Greenway. In combination with a tree guide this list can to help identify trees by leaf shapes, bark, and fall color. Seek and iNaturalist are good apps to use; there are also many good tree identification books, just choose one that you find easy to use.

Trees in their list are organized by their scientific nomenclature, which groups similar species together (maples, oaks, etc.) Have fun!

Deciduous trees:

Boxelder (Acer negundo), yellow

Red maple (Acer rubra), orange to red

Silver maple (Acer saccharinium), yellow to red

Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), yellow to scarlet

Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), yellow-orange

Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata), yellow

Redbud (Cercis canadensis), yellow

Beech (Fagus grandifolia) , yellow changing to tan (beech leaves often stay on the tree all winter)

White Ash (Fraxinius americana), bronze purple

Walnut (Juglans nigra), yellowish green

Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), red to purple

Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), yellow

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum), scarlet red

Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), yellow to orange to brown

Black cherry Prunus serotina), yellow

White Oak (Quercus alba), reddish brown

Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea), red

Northern red oak (Quercus rubra), russet red

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), yellow to red

Evergreens : Evergreens do lose their needles or leaves, but not all at once, like deciduous trees do. These evergreens all stay green over the winter:

Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) green

Virginia pine (Pinus Virginiana) green

Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) green

Non-native plants with leaves, most of them invasive, also stay green during the winter. All of these are present in the Gateway Nature Preserve, unfortunately!

Privets (Ligustrum spp.)

Japanese holly (Ilex crenata)

Nandina (Nandina domestica)

English Ivy (Hedera helix)